Chapter 3: Playing the Game...in which We Sally Forth to Play Arcanum
At last our adventure begins, and we behold the glory of the Main Game Interface. Always visible to us while we reside in Arcanum, The Main Game Interface can be seen even when other sub-windows are open. Should a sub-window arise which demands the whole screen at once, such as the Inventory Screen or the Character Editor, a small circular window will appear in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. Through this small portal, the player's Character can still be seen; clicking in this small circular window will close the larger sub-window and return us to our main isometric view of the Game's proceedings. Section 3-1: The Main Game Interface Let us pause for a moment to consider the various components of the Main Game Interface. Hit Point and Fatigue Gauges These gauges show the number of Hit Points (bottom left) and the volume of Fatigue (bottom right) remaining to the player's credit. Behold that both glass tubes are filled with liquid, red for Hit Points and blue for Fatigue. If one's Character is poisoned, the liquid in the Hit Point gauge will change from red to yellow to indicate the bilious nature of envenomed blood. Located at the very bottom of each gauge is the exact numerical value of Hit Points or Fatigue points for the Character. Words to the Wise: The Message Window At the bottom middle of the main interface we find the Message Window, an area used primarily to display messages to the player and to give one a description of certain notable subjects in the course of our Game. Useful information regarding both items and creatures will appear here. When hovering over the top half of this window, our cursor will become an upward-pointing arrow, whereas the cursor becomes a downward-pointing arrow if held over the bottom half. Using these two arrows, the player can leaf easily through previous messages, although it must be said that descriptions are not saved in this queue. A few examples of those messages which would be saved: :"You have gained a level." :"You have been poisoned." :"You have gained x'' experience points and ''x fate points for completion of the quest." Hovering the cursor over interesting persons, places and things will provide us with a few salient words on the subject of our curiosity. The description of a Non-Playing Character will include the person's name, if known, as well as a summary of his reaction to one's person and a few words about his state of health. A portrait of the being in question will be displayed to the left of the description text. Note that all Playing Characters, Non-Playing Characters and Monsters can be sized up in this fashion! A description of an Item will also include a picture of the Item on the left and a few words to the right, these latter depending on what is known about the object in question. And at times, one's surroundings may also occasion some special remark, being as notable in their way as a living creature or an interesting item— although not all scenery will be inspire a comment. If we click the Spell or Skill buttons (see below), the action will cause an appropriate window to rotate into place over the Message Window. Clicking the same button again will make the Message Window reappear. Hotkey Bank There are 10 slots in the hot key bank. Each of the slots is bound to a keyboard number, keys 1-0. The player can drag and drop many functions from the interface into any of the slots for easy access. Some examples would be items such as potions and weapons, or spells. A slot is activated by either left-clicking on the appropriate slot or hitting the corresponding number hot key. When activated, either the appropriate item is used or wielded, or the spell is cast. In cases where a target is needed, a targeting cursor will appear and the player should select a target, even if the target is one's own Character. If an item is used, it will automatically be replaced in the hotkey bank with an identical item from inventory, if one exists. For example, if the player has a health potion tied to slot 1 and the player makes use of that potion, then that slot will tie itself to another health potion in inventory, if the Character has one. If not, then the slot will clear itself. The player can manually clear a slot by dragging it to the right of the hot key bank and dropping it into the destruction tab at the end. Item Spell Button Located on the left-hand side of the hot key bank, this button is used to access the spells of a wielded magical item. See Section 3-6 for more details. Experience Gauges The experience gauges are located directly below the hot key bank. There are two such gauges: one might be best described as "the Experience Bubbles", while its partner is best described as "the Experience Bar". The Experience Bubbles light up, from left to right, as one's Character gains experience. They are a measure of how near the Character is to reaching the next level. When the rightmost bubble is filled, the Character gains a level. The lower bar, by contrast, is a magnified view of each bubble. It shows how near the Character has come to lighting up the next bubble. The lower bar is a good way to measure the progress of one's Character closely. Gold/Ammo Counter This counter usually displays how much gold one is carrying. However, if one's Character is wielding a weapon that uses ammunition of a particular type (arrows, bullets, charges or fuel), it will display how many units of the appropriate ammunition the Character has remaining. Last Skill/Spell The area below the Gold/Ammunition Counter displays the last two actions the player has taken with a Skill or Spell. We can click these buttons or press the A key to activate the left-most button. Sub-Window Buttons Each of the four buttons in the upper left of the Main Game Interface will bring up a separate sub-window screen, and each of these sub-windows will completely fill the isometric view when triggered. When such a sub-window is opened, as previously noted, a small circular window is placed in the upper left-hand corner, wherein the player will be able to see his or her Character in the Game, albeit at half size. The player is thus able to keep an eye on the Character at all times, and prevent the Character from getting up to any mischief while unattended. If the player should click on this Character window or hit Esc, the Game will return to the isometric view. The four sub-windows are, in order: Character Maintenance :Pressing this button or the C key will open the Character Editor, which shows all the Statistics and Skills of the Character. This is the self-same Editor which was used to create a Character at the start of the Game. The player can assign any unspent Character Points here, at any time. However, the player cannot undo any points spent on previous visits to this Editor, so once this window closes, any changes made to the Character are permanent. :When the Character gains a Level or is affected by something that changes Statistics or Skills, this button will light up and stay lit until the player opens the Character Editor to see what has taken place. Logbooks :The Logbook Button or the L key will bring up the Logbooks Interface. The Logbooks of a Character will record a variety of noteworthy events which have taken place in said Character's life. The Logbook is broken down into several sections, these being selected by tabs on the books right-hand side. If a section has more than two pages, arrows will appear in the top corners of the book so the player may turn the pages and see the additional information. :The first section is a journal of Rumors and Notes. In these pages, a Character jots down anything he or she has heard which might prove to be of importance while playing the Game. Each notation is time-stamped and drawn in black. If the Character ever discovers a certain rumor is false, then that rumor is struck out of the book. :The Quests section displays every quest the Character has ever heard tell of at one time or another. Each tidbit of information is time-stamped, but depending on the state of the quest, the color is different. A quest that has been mentioned to the Character, but not accepted, is given in black. Quests that the Character has agreed to undertake are recorded in blue. Quests that have been completed are given in green, and struck out. Quests that cannot be completed, either because they have been botched or because they have been completed by a rival Playing Character (in multiplayer mode) are red, and struck out. An example of a botched quest? Well, perhaps that regrettable instance when we sallied forth to rescue a kidnapped princess and succeeded only in getting her killed. At times we can pull a botched quest out of the fire and "unbotch" it, of course—in the case of the Princess, we might find a mage capable of resurrecting her—and in such a case the quest's color would turn from red back to blue, and we might even be able to complete it. :Reputations are the results of particularly good or bad actions on the part of the Character. At times a particularly noteworthy deed may make a large group of people love and admire us... whereas other actions might make us feared or despised. Some Reputations have mild reaction adjustments, while others have rather severe reaction adjustments. :Blessings are bonuses granted to the player by a higher power. Similarly, Curses are penalties inflicted on the player by some such agent. Blessings are shown in blue, while Curses are shown in red. These matters are divinely wrought and are considered to be outside of both the Magical or Technological realms. Therefore, magic spells and resistances have no effect whatsoever on blesses and curses. :The next section of the Logbook is called Kills and Injuries. This section keeps track of the enemies killed by the Character and his followers, as well as any serious injuries the Character has sustained. The kills are given on the left-hand page. The total number of kills is recorded, and this includes any kills made by the Character's followers. Additional notes are added to a certain kill if the event was remarkable in some way, as when a certain being was the most powerful or the most evil creature the Character has ever killed. By contrast, the list of one's personal Injuries begins on the right-hand side. Any serious injury that a Character has received, including blindness, crippled limbs, or scarring, is recorded here, along with the name of the creature which inflicted it. If the injury has been healed, it is struck out, but it still appears as a reminder. :The Background section lists the Background that was selected for this Character during the process of Character creation. If the player selected a Pre-fabricated Character, his or her history is shown here instead. :The last section of the Logbook is Keyring Contents. If one's Character possesses a keyring, this section will list the name of every key on that ring. If the Character possesses more than one keyring, only one keyring will hold any keys— this being the keyring which was first picked up. Only this earliest, active keyring will be displayed here. Map :The Map Button and the W key will both take the player to one of two Interfaces, depending on where one's Character is standing at the time. If the Character is in a town, a dungeon, or in any location with a local map (for purposes of our Game, all maps of these areas are collectively known as "Town Maps"), then the Map Button will appear in the shape of a scroll. If we click upon this scroll, we are given a look at the Town Map Interface. Otherwise, the Map Button appears in the shape of a globe, and the player will be brought to the World Map Interface. :We first examine the Town Map Interface. Observe that the Town Map gives us a view of our immediate surroundings from a very high vantage point. A crosshair marks the location of one's Character, and one's followers (if any) also are displayed. The compass to the right is always aligned with North at the top, and the Character's precise location is displayed below it. :On the left-hand side of this display are two buttons. The World Map Button switches the player to a zoomed version of the World Map, but be aware, Gentle Player, that one cannot initiate travel on this World Map while ones Character stands in a "Town Map" area! Should one wish to travel abroad, one must first leave the town or dungeon. The other button to our left is the Town Map Button. The Town Map Button will switch us back to the Town Map, if we have briefly strayed to the World Map. :The player can also scroll the map with the scroll button, or by use of the arrow keys. And the Town Map allows the player to drop way-points by left-clicking on the map and to remove way-points by right-clicking. Our Town Map Interface is blessed with an additional button on the right, which if pressed, will initiate travel along the way-points. :Next, we behold the majesty of the World Map Interface. Very similar in character to the Town Map Interface, the World Map allows travel across the very firmament of Arcanum! Please do note that terrain can be an impediment to one's progress, and that the player will be obliged to choose paths which navigate the Character around natural obstacles such as mountains and rivers! As the Character travels, he or she may also see something of interest in the distance. On such occasions the Electro Dynamo machine will automatically take note of the spot and add a marker to the World Map to mark its location. If the player is so inclined, he or she may interrupt the Character's journey and go to this marker immediately to investigate further— or it can be left for a later, more convenient time. Personal Inventory :With the pressing of the next button or the use of the I key, the player may open the Personal Inventory Screen. Here the player can wield, drop and use items that have been found or purchased in the course of the Game. All of the items currently being wielded by the Character are shown on the left-hand side of the screen, placed in 9 different slots. Each slot is reserved for items of a certain type: a helmet, 2 rings, an amulet, a weapon, a shield, armor/clothes, gloves, and footwear. :The right-hand side of the Screen shows the Inventory Grid, an area which contains an abstract display of all of those items which the Character carries, but does not wield. The total weight of all these items, in stone, is displayed in the upper left-hand corner, along with the Character's current level of Encumbrance and Speed. The number in parentheses after the Encumbrance level is the amount of weight (in stone) which will begin the next Encumbrance level. For more information on Encumbrance, see section 3-2. :The total number of "stackable" items (these being gold, arrows, bullets, charges and fuel) are shown on the right-hand side of the screen as well. There is also a Pack Button, which will rearrange the items in one's inventory into the most compact possible arrangement. The button will pack items to the top or to the left, on alternate presses. This packing feature is most useful when one finds particularly wide or very tall items! Note also that this feature can also be useful in packing the inventory of a follower, when one is bartering with them. :Items can be transferred between the Inventory Grid and the Wield Slots by selecting the desired object, dragging it to the appropriate slot, and dropping it into position. If an item is dropped into an inappropriate Wield Slot, one which doesn't suit its type, it will return automatically to the Grid. If an item is dropped into a Slot which has already been filled with another item, the new item enters the Slot and the item previously wielded is picked up. :If armor is wielded, the Character immediately changes his or her appearance to match the armor type, and the player will see this visible change in the circular view window. If a weapon and a shield are wielded, these items are only visible on the Character if he or she is in "Combat Mode" (see Section 3-3). Wielded armor and weapons will change the Attack and Defense ratings of a Character, these being shown in the bottom corners of his or her Wield Grid. These ratings are a measure of the Character's attack potential (a combination of damage and skill) with the wielded weapon, and defense potential (a combination of armor class and resistances) of the wielded armor. These ratings range from 0 to 100, with 0 being the worst and 100 being the best possible rating. :Items can be used in the Game by dragging and dropping them into the Use Box, which is found on the right-hand side of the screen. The Use Box glows green if the item can be used at the moment, or red if it cannot be used in the current situation. If the item needs a target, the player will be returned to the isometric view and given a target cursor. The player can left-click on the appropriate target for this item, even if his own Character is the best subject for its effect. Or, if the use of the item does not seem necessary, the player may right-click to cancel the use of the item. :Items can also be discarded by dragging and dropping them into the Drop Box on the right-hand side of the screen. The Drop Box glows green if the item can be dropped, and red if it cannot be dropped. Dropped items are placed at the feet of one's Character; if more than one item is dropped, the items combine into a junk pile, which serves as a container of sorts for the items. Keep in mind that junk piles of this sort can be looted (see "Looting" in the section on Thieving below). :Items can also be thrown by dragging and dropping them into the circular window in the upper left-hand corner of the Screen. The player is returned to the isometric view and given a target cursor that resembles the item to be hurled. To select a target for this missile, the player has only to left-click upon a target or a preferred location. If the player has changed his mind, a right-click will cancel the action and return the item to Inventory. If a thrown item hits an object, it will do damage as a weapon if it is a considered a weapon suitable for throwing— as in the case of a dagger, by way of example. Otherwise the damage done by a thrown object is based simply upon its weight, as when one hurls a chair or a mace. This will be considered an attack, if the target object is a living creature! :If a stackable item is dragged and dropped—gold and ammunition being notable examples—a multi-move interface will scroll over the Message Window. This interface allows the player to select exactly how much of the stack to transfer. The right arrow will select all of the stackable amount, while the plus and minus buttons allow the player to fine tune the amount. The player can also type the exact numerical amount to transfer, as well. Pressing the green button will complete the transfer, and pressing red button will cancel it. When an event takes place which has specific reference to any one of these four sub-window buttons, the appropriate button will light up and glow red. Any effect upon one's Character will light up the Character Editor Button, to alert the player to the change. If a Rumor is heard, or a Quest changes its state, if one's Character is Blessed or Cursed, or if he makes a kill or receives an injury, the Logbook Button will flare up brightly to signal a new entry in one's personal records. If the Character enters or exits a town area, the Map Button will indicate the change of venue. And if the Character gains or loses an item, the Personal Inventory Button will be the first to let the player know. Making One's Own Luck: the Delicate Matter of Fate Points When we press the Fate Button or the F key, we behold a menu filled with possible twists of fate: Full Healing, Force Critical Hit, and Force Critical Failure would be but a few of one's possible choices. When the player picks one of these possible turns of fortune, the number of Fate Points available for use drops by one, and the selection either takes effect immediately or is turned green until the effect takes place. To cancel a queued Fate Event, the player left-clicks on the green selection and the Fate Point is returned. If the player has no Fate Points, it always possible to open this menu to see which selections are pending, but the remaining selections will be unavailable. Sleep and Time Located in the upper right of the screen, the Sleep Button will bring soothing slumber to a Character suffering from exhaustion. When we press this Sleep Button or the S key, we behold the Sleep Interface. A Playing Character will be permitted to sleep in most wilderness areas undisturbed, but this is not usually possible in towns and cities, for obvious reasons; the fair citizens of any city, town and village are always distressed by the sight of the drunk and indigent sleeping upon the ground. If the player should try to fling himself down on the cobblestones in such an area, a Wait menu will pop up instead. Waiting is very much like Sleeping, but health is not recovered. To sleep soundly in an inhabited area, the player must do the decent thing: find an inn and pay for a bed! When the player left-clicks upon the bed for which he has paid, the Sleep Interface will obligingly appear. The Sleep Interface allows the player two possible options: one can either select a time limit for the Character's period of rest, allowing only a certain number of hours, or one can generously allow the Character to sleep until some event has transpired— for example, the break of dawn, or until the body has fully healed. It is not strictly necessary for a Character to sleep, in the course of our Game, but when sleeping in a bed the rate of healing is double the rate one enjoys when sleeping on the ground in the wilderness. Sleeping is also a quick way to pass time in the Game, if the player must wait for an upcoming event. The time-piece shown in the upper right-hand corner of the Sleep Interface is a 180-degree window. This displays the current time of day, as well as the phase of the moon; the moon will phase from full to new to full again every 28 days. The current time is indicated by the pointer in the center of the time-piece, such that noon occurs when this pointer is located directly over the sun. The player can also hover his cursor over the time-piece, and a message will be displayed in the Message Window with the current time.